Enlarge ImageRequest to buy this photoVictoria Will | AP file photoThe 52-year-old Clash had been a "Sesame Street" puppeteer since 1984, when he was handed the fuzzy red puppet named Elmo and asked to come up with a voice for him.

NEW YORK -- A Florida man today sued the ex-Elmo puppeteer who resigned
amid a sex scandal, saying the voice actor met him in New York after trolling gay telephone chat
lines seeking underage boys for sex.

The lawsuit seeking unspecified damages was filed in Manhattan federal
court by a man who remains anonymous.

The man says he met Kevin Clash on a chat line when he was 16 years old
in 2000 and exploring modeling opportunities in New York.

The lawsuit says Clash had numerous Elmo dolls in his apartment when he
met the teen for sex. The man, now 29, is the third to make claims against Clash, who resigned from
Sesame Street last week after 28 years.